


You Don't Want to be Alone

by mcsquiggle



Series: Bullet-Proof Glass Heart [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Gay Keith (Voltron), Hunk (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Hunk (Voltron) Has Two Moms, Hunk (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Insecure Lance (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Kuron isn't used here, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Lance's flirting is an act, M/M, Mom Friend Hunk (Voltron), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining Keith (Voltron), Protective Keith (Voltron), Pure Lance, Rich Allura, Rich Keith, Self-Discovery, Self-Reflection, Selfless Lance, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), rich Shiro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-04-22 14:11:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14310414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcsquiggle/pseuds/mcsquiggle
Summary: Keith and Lance are both awkward college studentsBut they're awkward together





	You Don't Want to be Alone

**Author's Note:**

> I tagged this to be an AU in the Modern Setting to say that there isn't any space travel as a major plot theme, and all characters are humanized
> 
> Edit: this'll end up being about two or so chapters (short-shot (you know, like oneshot haha)) - I'm going to add another story to the series as pole-vaults off this to create a more developed story  
> this is just a self-indulgent mess that mashes different things sloppily together so I'm using as inspiration for a better version  
> some things will change but overall it'll be pretty much similar conceptually

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith finds someone  
> And enjoys a cozy cafe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's to the hope that this works  
> ?  
> Enjoy!

A rush, a thrill. It was overwhelming to Keith, stopping him short in the middle of the crosswalk. It was a shockwave that had traveled from head to toe, but he knew.

 

There were too many people to know for sure. Getting jostled into action, he whipped his gaze around. Keith could spare the time to follow his intuitions. Because somewhere, in this bustle of people, was the person attached to the strange mark on his right pinkie. From a distance, it just looked like a smudge of blue, a patch of stray paint or marker ink on his skin.

 

If Keith could find his soulmate, he hoped it would be someone as perfect as his mother had described. Someone like his father, who was heroic and gentle and always there for his mom. As perfect as Shiro and Adam.

 

He already felt pretty lonely as it is, and he knew all he really wanted was someone to get companionable with.

 

But still, he felt he just _knew_ who it was. Not much intuition as it was a feel, a pull.

 

A pull that tugged him into an adjacent cafe.

 

The place itself was cozy enough though. In fact, he felt more at home here than in the two-story house he lived in with his brother. Modeled to fit the rustic feel, the walls were lined with fairy lights that also stretched along the ceiling. On the walls were nets of string with polaroids clipped to them, most likely of customers who had gotten their photos taken. It was a nice touch, though, adding a sort of friendliness to the establishment.

 

The coffee house, dubbed _Topped Off_ , followed a brown to french-gray color scheme that added a warmer atmosphere to the already-toasty place. Presumably from the warm drinks and pastries.

 

Despite the odd title, Keith found himself uncaring, as he searched around for the same feeling he had outside in the crowd.

 

With no luck, he decided to get a drink so he could sit down and look more inconspicuously. It would suck if he was kicked out for loitering or something, anyway.

 

So he approached the counter, pulling out his wallet, and asked for a mochaccino. $4.53, huh, cheaper than what he was used to.

 

Still, he didn’t look up as he passed over the money, and he didn’t look up when asked for his name. He accepted the receipt with his order number on it, and took a seat at a booth in the corner of the room.

 

It was darkened by the curtains that framed the window, and Keith liked the seclusion. He filled the empty time by looking up again and watching the people in the cafe.

 

Still, none of them gave him any special feelings. As he watched a girl pointing out whipped cream on her friend’s nose, a tall person whizzed across his vision. In his arms, trays lined with drinks barely sloshed around because of the grace and precision at which he balanced the drinks.

 

Keith found himself impressed. But when the man turned around, Keith’s eyes widened. His eyes reminded him of a boy in his history and science classes. Lance, was the guy’s name. Keith could never forget those electrifying eyes the tall Latino American had.

 

As the waiter kept approaching, 100 watt smile not dimming and hips swaying as he danced across the room, Keith stared blatantly.

 

Oh. _Oh,_ it is Lance.

 

Lance was a super attractive guy Keith had always noticed was nearby somehow. In fact, Keith always felt attracted to the guy. Of course, Keith only read it as admiration of Lance’s body because for all he knew, the guy could be straight.

 

It wouldn’t come as a surprise if the one person Keith felt attracted to ended up not being into guys.

 

But maybe he’d be lucky and Lance would help him find his soulmate, or something cheesy like that. It was a sort of intuition that Keith thought he felt deep down. Lance was related to his soulmate. But it could also just be the butterflies in his stomach when he thought of the boy.

 

Lance turned and set down drinks at a table adjacent to Keith, a couple who looked to be well in their 30’s. A post-grad age, they must have met in college, cliche but cute. When Keith was younger he wanted to meet his soulmate under the night sky, the one thing that remained constant in his life. But now he just wanted to meet them, see who fate decided he was destined to be with.

 

Feeling like a stalker, Keith looked away, to a succulent that caught his eye. Or rather, succulents being held in a glass, ovoid container. The bottom had small pebbles and soil in it.

 

It rested right by the window at his table, and it added a simple and strangely domestic sense to it. The plant looked healthy and must be cared for dearly by someone. Keith hoped sitting here wouldn’t hinder said person from caring for the plant.

 

But he then felt silly for thinking this because it was a booth meant for customers as much as any other. He looked around, glancing at the booths around the room. They all had their own little succulents - or at least, the ones by the windows did.

 

He felt someone's gaze on him, distracting him from his observations, and turned to see Lance walk the last few steps to him. Tray still in hand, smile still on face, hair still in that subtly unkempt style that appeared almost windswept.

 

In his open hand, was a drink. The drink that Keith had ordered. _That’s right_ , Keith had forgotten he was looking for his soulmate here. Keith didn’t feel the separation that came with getting close and then separating from them, and the only people to leave were happy couples, so Keith reassured himself that they were probably still there. Unless his soulmate was in a relationship with someone else - it wasn't unheard of.

 

But looking at Lance had almost made him forget about his soulmate. Made him think that he could abandon the hope of finding them to just be with Lance. Lance could be soulmate enough.

 

Right, _Lance_. The guy standing in front of him. The one who just set a drink holder in front of him.

 

He tried not to stare at the golden skin the boy had, looking like the sun had kissed him, as he set the drink upon the circular drink holder gingerly.

 

Clearing his throat, a noise came out sounding more like a silently strangled wheeze. Keith tried for words, intelligently starting with, “Uh,” he swallowed, trying to get his shit together and tried again, murmuring a small “Thanks.” He nodded slightly to the drink as if Lance wouldn’t know what he was talking about.

 

It was more to tell himself that he wasn’t just thanking Lance for existing, because the very thought sending his thoughts askew - it flustered him.

 

Sincerely, despite Keith’s awkward attempt at conversation, Lance grinned. It was much softer than the smiles Keith saw him make at other people. It made him feel special in a way. _Special_ , huh, that was a new one for himself.

 

Before Keith could beat himself up about such presumptuous thoughts, Lance responded with a nod as well, “Of course! If you need anything, just call me over!”

 

With a practiced turn, he danced around the cafe to deliver the other drinks he still carried. Keith wasn’t sure whether it was for good customer service or if Lance just enjoyed people so damn much. And if so, Keith wondered what that made him, in either regard. But he also secretly hoped Lance thought he was special - though they'd never engaged in actually conversation before today, if you could even call it that.

 

Keith didn’t like to think about it, so his attention instead shifted to a few suppressed squeals he heard from a nearby table. They weren't loud, per say, but they still weren't to be expected in such a zen environment.

 

It was the table from earlier with the girl and her friend.

 

They were eying up Lance, and it made Keith feel very, very contempt and uncomfortable with the two. No one should eye up Lance like that. It was reserved for someone like Keith- his soulmate. _Yeah_ , Lance's soulmate should be the only person to eye up Lance.

 

It took a bit of effort to keep a growl from slipping out, but Keith managed. However he started glowering. However, it wasn't much of a change from what Shiro jokingly called his 'resting bitch face.'

 

To try and keep a positive mood, he reached forward and snatched up the cup as gingerly as possible, an oxymoron. It was given to him by Lance, so he cradled it and reveled in the warmth it radiated.

 

A small smile formed on his face as he eyed the cup. But it clashed with the dark brow he still had from the small brooding session he was having. Anyone who looked at Keith may have then thought him to be a sadist who was plotting new methods of torture, or something sinister like that.

 

His gay pining always caused problems. But Keith didn’t find it in himself to be to affected by this. He took a careful sip out of the chocolaty drink he had ordered.

 

As the warmth entered his body, he practically purred, but he suppressed that noise, too. It wasn’t scalding hot and it wasn’t room temperature, it was a Goldilocks drink. Just right. Looking up, Keith found something else that was just right. More like some _one_ else.

 

Lance was indubitably a sight for sore eyes. And Keith’s eyes were most definitely _sore_ . Lance was a force of nature and Keith was a weak man. A very, _very_ weak man.

 

It took nearly all of him to keep from blushing beet red from head to toe from his thoughts. He had to wrench himself off of the train of thought, focusing again on Lance.

 

Who was talking to those two girls. The ones who were ogling Lance earlier.

 

Keith’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the table’s edge, and there must be a vein popping out of his forehead by now. It was a good thing he had set the precious drink down. His lips were pressed together in a thin line, eyebrows ran parallel to them - they threatened to dip down lower, though, twitching.

 

The girls were giggling in high, shallow tones like nails on a chalkboard. It felt like a mating call. A pretty ugly mating call. Dumb, stupid, annoying, gross mating call. If Keith were a few years younger, he’d be sticking his tongue out or throwing punches.

 

But he couldn’t hit anyone, especially not a girl. Especially with Lance there.

 

Besides, Lance was _waaay_ out of their league. Yeah, they could just quit while their ahead. They should. Once again, Keith didn't dwell on what that made him.

 

A laugh tumbled out of Lance at what one of the girls had said, but it sounded more polite to Keith.

 

It wasn’t as though Keith stalked Lance at school or anything, be he knew what Lance sounded like when he _laughed_ , or even just giggled. But this wasn't one of those, it was just a noise that signified him to be humored.

 

More like humoring those girls.

 

It wasn’t stalking. No. Lance just didn’t notice that Keith noticed him. It wasn’t _that_ weird. All he did was _observe_ Lance. From a distance. Where he could remain inconspicuous.

 

Presently, Keith studied Lance face when he spoke. His eyebrows were subtly knitted in an unreadable emotion, the smile just barely reaching his eyes - it wasn’t all there. A smirk was playing onto his charmed features, but it didn't seem all to genuine in the grand scheme of things. Lance only made that face when people flirted with him. If it were Keith, he'd only be able to describe his expression as pained if someone flirted with him - it felt wrong.

 

Then Lance walked away rather smoothly, but not lacking any grace he had demonstrated before. The girls, though unimportant to Keith, had very funny expressions. A mix between being slapped and getting turned on?

 

 _Ah_ , bet they see whatever Lance did as playing hard to get. Keith wish he'd paid attention to that part though... Perhaps he played the “I have work” card. And who could oppose that? 

 

Keith took another sip from his mochaccino, hiding a guilty grin behind it. Fate seemed to be on his side this time, and the cafe was quiet again.

 

Keith’s eyes followed Lance again as he continued moving around the cafe, delivering drinks. But _dancing_ was definitely a better word. He seemed to be subtly swaying to the low ambience music that flowed out of the speakers in the establishment. Sounded like swing music. Frank Sinatra? Or maybe even Bobby Darin. He'd mixed the two up once - he liked to say he didn't assume anymore, in that regard at least.

 

He took another sip. And another. He wanted to drink it before it got cold. But he also just really liked how it tasted. It reminded him of a family who, once upon a time, baked brownies to eat for breakfast - because it was their thing.

 

There were light taps on the glass. Constant and soft. Reminded him of Lance.

 

It was rain. Water, from the sky. _Lance._

 

His heart was beating to the rhythm of the rain. _Lance, Lance Lance._

 

A mantra; A tune. Keith relaxed to it, and let the music flow into his ears, toes wriggling in his sneakers - a habit he had developed as a subtle outlet for interest. He payed attention to the lyrics.

 

> _Fly me to the moon. Let me play, among the stars._
> 
> _Let me see what spring is like on a, Jupiter and Mars. In other words, hold my hand...._

 

Huh, so it was Frank Sinatra. This song reminded him of Lance.

 

Of one particular day when Keith had passed him in the hallway, Lance was talking to his two closest friends, Hunk and Pidge. He’d said that when he was younger, he dreamt of being an astronaut. They had been talking about old dreams that never came true.

 

He hadn’t registered that part at the time, but later when he was going to sleep and he saw the stars, he recalled the dialogue.

 

Neither of his friends had noticed Lance’s face when he talked about the dream that never came true.

 

Neither of them knew how sad Lance was about the trashed dream. Keith hadn't either at the time.

 

It scared Keith, how Lance could redirect people’s attention away from such important details. But once again, that was a thought to dwell on another day.

 

Especially when the boy in question was right there.

 

But what about his soulmate? They probably didn't need him anyway. Besides, Lance was right there. He didn't need much else, an with content, he lifted the cup off the tabletop again and took another swig of the warm fluid.

 

He couldn’t help but think of Lance.

 

**TBC...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much else to tell  
> But next chapter, Lance's POV is a likely outcome heh  
> Bye!

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: Shiro, my man, got himself a significant other  
> Kudos to him
> 
> >:)c  
> might have to use it in this, but less um  
> Sad


End file.
